Burning Ring of Fire
by Predatory Grace
Summary: Callie is a Ninetales who wonders into the city one day. She gets lost and the next day runs into trouble. Though a mysterious savior comes to the rescue, going back to the forest may not be as safe as some may believe. She gets into trouble once again. Will she fall for her savior? Or will she fall for another who's trying to convince her that not all of his kind are bad?


**Hello! I've missed writing sooo much! I just hadn't had the time ya know? :( Lots of stuff going on. Anyway, as requested by Mewtwo345, I've decided to do a story including a love triangle between a Ninetales, Houndoom, and Arcanine! Don't worry, this will be veeeerrry interesting! :)) I hope y'all like it! Tell me what you think! -I don't own Pokémon!-**

**Chapter 1**

Callie awoke to the sounds of voices whispering. She opened her eyes, confused. The stone at her feet was cold and unfamiliar. The stench of rotten food that permeated the air made her wrinkle her nose in distaste. The Ninetales slowly got to her paws, flicking her ears forward and back in an attempt to pinpoint where the voices were coming from. They seemed to echo all around her, cackling and snickering at her. Degrading her.

Shadows moved in the darkness. They were everywhere, swirling and transforming into monsters that surrounded her. A shiver went down the vixen's spine. Maybe they weren't just figments of her imagination. Red eyes appeared, one by one.

A dark chuckle made her whirl around. Out of the shadows stepped a dangerous looking Mightyena. His left ear had a chunk missing from it, probably bitten off by another Pokémon. Scars riddled his body, displaying pink flesh where dark fur should have been. He was intimidating with his glowing red eyes and manic grin. His expression was feral as he devoured her body with his gaze.

"Hello, my sweet fox." The dark Pokémon growled. His eyes kept traveling over Callie's figure, anticipating what he'd do to her already. He flicked his tail and a pack of Poochyena suddenly appeared. He showed his teeth to her in a wolfish grin.

"Stay back." The Ninetales ordered, backing away from the pack alpha. Her soft voice held no authority and the threat fell short, sounding unconvincing even to her. Her tails fluffed up in attempt to make her appear bigger than she was. A Poochyena minion snapped at her heels when she got too close, causing her to leap back into the center of the makeshift circle. She was trapped.

Her hackles rose in anger. How in the world did she get in this situation anyway? Snarling, Callie prepared herself for a fight she was sure to lose. There were far too many of them and only one of her. The Mightyena shrugged, looking smug.

"I like them feisty anyway." He cackled, leaping at her.

Cal dodged his attack, diving beneath the dog and using flamethrower on his underbelly. He howled, barely landing before lunging at the vixen once more. She tried avoiding him again, rolling to her right, but he caught a few of her creamy white tails in his jaws.

With a snarl, the dark dog dragged the fire fox back to him. He slung her body underneath his and was about to clamp down on her neck when he was plowed over from the side. The power of the blow sent the Mightyena careening into a brick wall. Blinking in astonishment, the Ninetales focused on the broad figure that suddenly stood in front of her. It protected her from the foul Pokémon's eyes.

"Achilles." The Mightyena coughed, scrambling to his paws. His lips curled in distaste. "I thought you were out of town." He turned to glare at a Poochyena not far from him, causing the canine to shrink away. His glower promised punishment.

Meanwhile, the Ninetales observed the Pokémon the Mightyena called Achilles. Her eyes widened when she realized what he was. She had only heard about his kind. The Houndoom was larger than both her and the Mightyena. He had enormous, white horns one top of his head that curled into sharp points and white bonelike bands around his paws and back. They almost looked like bones. His tail swished back and forth threateningly. It was long and narrow, coming to an arrow like point. She couldn't tell what his face looked like from her position, but by the hint of fear in the Mightyena's eyes she bet it was terrifying.

"I came back early. Good thing I did too, Edge." Achilles barked, a low growl rumbling in his chest. All the Poochyena cowered away from him. A dark aura pulsated around him. He lowered his head, baring his teeth. Edge flattened his ears against his skull, looking like he'd want nothing more than to attack. For reasons Callie couldn't imagine, the Mightyena backed down from the challenge. He motioned for the pack to move out.

"Mark my words, Achilles. There will be a day when you can't save every wondering Pokémon." He glowered at the male Houndoom before vanishing into the shadows once more. His minions dispersed.

Callie shook herself. Her tails ached where she had been bitten, but she was fine otherwise. She didn't want to think about what would have happened if her savior wouldn't have rescued her. It bothered her that she had been so helpless.

The male grunted, turning to half-face her. He muttered what she thought was 'come on', then nudged her toward the alley opening. The Houndoom adjusted his stride so that his pace matched hers. Their claws clicked on the concrete sidewalks. She noticed that they stuck to back alleys where humans didn't travel as much.

The Pokémon couple navigated through the streets without further problems. Callie wasn't sure if she should say something to him or not. Usually unless Pokémon were family, others wouldn't come to their aid. At least in the wild. The Houndoom's help was unexpected. She puzzled over him, following his lead silently. They were out of the city in no time. The sun shone high in the sky when Callie's paws stepped on lush, green grass instead of the hard, grey concrete. Her gaze lifted, ears perking when she saw the forest.

Though the Ninetales was itching to sprint toward her home, she held herself back. Both Pokémon stopped a few tail lengths away from the first row of trees and shrubbery. The Houndoom flicked his tail toward the forest and grunted, still not even turning to face her.

Callie trotted a few paces away, then thought better of just leaving. She had to thank her savior. Turning around, she faced the dark Pokémon head on. Her eyes gazed unwaveringly into his. The color of Achilles' eyes was that of fire, like her own, but unlike hers, they had pupils. His body stiffed as the vixen padded back up to him. He seemed at a loss of what to do.

"Thank you so much for what you did back there, Achilles. I will never forget how you saved me." She paused, thinking over what she was about to say next. "For the next moon cycle, I'll come back here every other night. If you would like to join me, you are welcome. Maybe…maybe we can be friends."

"I don't have friends." He replied, his voice sounding uneasy. The fire fox shook her head, chuckling softly. The Houndoom wanted to live in solitude. She could understand that, but sometimes being alone all the time can get lonely.

"Well, if you change your mind, you know where to find me!" Before he could react, Callie licked Achilles' cheek and sprinted into the forest. She could practically feel his burning gaze on her as she vanished into the forest.

_Achilles P.O.V._

Achilles felt so stupid for acting so foolishly around that female. He'd never stayed to watch other Pokémon go before when he helped them back to the forest. He always had dropped them off at the edge of town before going back to business. In all his years, the Houndoom had never seen a Ninetales. Her soft cream-colored fur stood in stark contrast to his coarse black fur. Her delicate, dainty paws were beautiful in comparison to his bulky ones. As he walked back into the city, he tried to redirect his thoughts. He didn't realize he walked around the same block until he stood staring off into the forest again. Growling at himself, he turned away and refused to look back. He would NOT go see her in two days. He simply refused.

Brooding, the dark dog sniffed out the scum that threatened such a lovely Pokémon. He had had enough of the Mightyena's crimes. Edge had raped far too many females. Achilles had warned him that if he did not stop, he would not hesitate to run him out of town. And that's exactly what he planned on doing. By evening, the city would be rid of the pesky hound and his pack of lowlife Poochyena. Maybe after he settled things with his enemy his thoughts of HER would go away. He sure hoped so.

_End_

Back in the woods, Callie realized just how hungry she was. Thinking back she hadn't eaten anything since the day before. Her stomach growled irritably. Wasting no time, the fire Pokémon began scenting the air, sifting through the smells in search of potential prey.

Within moments, she was following a Ratatta's trail. The small, purple and white rodent was downwind of her thankfully, so she could make a quick kill.

Swiftly, the vixen pounced on the Pokémon, snapping its back on impact. The mouse died before it knew what hit it. Though small, the meat would last her for the rest of the evening. Her mind wondered back to the city and her savior, Achilles. He had seemed so intimidating when he faced off with the Mightyena. When he walked with her, though, he had been considerate of her smaller strides and shown a softer side. Well, he would have seemed even more kind if he would have actually talked to her. She snorted. Finishing off her meal, Callie licked her lips. Her paws itched to return, but she knew he wouldn't be there. She had told him she'd be back every other day.

Tails drooping, she sought out a river. The stream she found was small, little Barboach swimming in the shallow water. Callie lapped up the cool liquid. She would need to find shelter for the night. If she was to make a den, she'd need to begin before nightfall when the nocturnal Pokémon roamed. Normally Ninetales were also one of those creatures of the night, but Callie sometimes enjoyed traveling in the day. The world seemed so different when the sun was up.

Exhausted, the white fox scraped out a narrow hole in the earth. By the time she was through, the sun set over the horizon. Curling up in her makeshift home, Callie relaxed. Sleep called to her. Its call was irresistible. The last image that popped in her mind was of a dark figure, standing over her protectively. Then she succumbed to the darkness.

Little did she know that a great danger lurked nearby and had been watching her.

**Reviews are welcome! :) I seriously read all of them! You guys can totally make or break my day haha (making my day would be preferred!). **


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